You Better
by Grac3
Summary: The Orichalcos was not the first thing to take Kaiba's soul, and he remembers what it feels like well enough to be scared. This time, however, Yami is with him, and when he won't say thank you, Mokuba does it for him. Episode tag: Episode 180, A Duel With Dartz - Part 4. Twoshot.
1. Yami

**Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the lines from Episode 180, A Duel With Dartz - Part 4**

* * *

Chapter 1 – Yami

A white glow began to shine all around him, while his duelling partner dimmed beside him. Yami looked over at Kaiba, his wide eyes taking in the trap card that his rival had activated.

"It's called Wish of Final Effort," Kaiba breathed, as though merely talking was taking a heavy toll on him: he, who usually stood so high and strong above them all. "It converts every one of my dragon's Attack Points into your Life Points, Yugi."

The sting of being referred to by that name – a name he didn't deserve even in the best of times, let alone now – distracted him so much that he almost missed his rival crumble.

He didn't recall giving his legs the command to move, but before he knew it, he was on the other side of the Field, kneeling beside the taller man as he collapsed to his knees.

"Kaiba, wait!" Yami cried, reaching forward to catch Kaiba before he fell. "Hang on!"

"Seto!" Mokuba's voice rang through the air, sounding muffled to Yami's ears. The boy's desperate, innocent tone was enough to make Yami sick to his stomach with guilt – but it was not enough to get Kaiba to open his eyes. "Come on, wake up!"

Yet still Kaiba did not stir. Had his soul already been taken?

"Say something!" Yami implored.

Relief like no other flooded Yami's veins when Kaiba eventually peeled his eyes open. Initially, the shorter duellist expected him to push him away, but no such thing happened. Instead, the CEO fixed his glazed eyes on his rival's face.

"Don't give up," he panted. "Got it?"

Yami nodded, knowing that surrender was not an option. No matter how hopeless it seemed, he had to carry on, for the sake of all those who couldn't.

"I fought too hard, so you can't lose this," Kaiba continued, as though as long as he kept speaking, he could ignore his impending doom. "Now win!"

Those words sapped the last of the CEO's strength. With a groan, he began to fall forward, nearly taking Yami with him.

"I will. I promise," he vowed.

He tightened his grip on his rival, as if somehow he could hold his soul within his body, though all he could do was try to offer some form of comfort.

He reached a hand up to Kaiba's head, curling his fingers into his hair and lowering his lips to his ear.

"I'll get you back."

Kaiba took a deep breath, drawing in enough oxygen to gasp two final words before the Seal closed in on them.

"You better."

The green light of the Seal intensified around them, and Dartz' gloating voice cut through the air.

"Pharaoh, it looks like you're the sole survivor."

Despite his best efforts to ignore Dartz, Yami's lip curled at the comment. He shoved it from his mind, turning his attention fully to the now trembling figure in his arms. From where Kaiba's chest was resting against his shoulder, Yami could feel the CEO's heartbeat increase as the magic of the Orichalcos began to take effect. The realisation hit him like a freight train: Seto Kaiba was scared.

Yami gently began to move his thumb, brushing it across Kaiba's scalp in an attempt to alleviate his fears. He couldn't be sure that it was working, but Yami was determined that the last thing that Kaiba would feel before he was ripped from his body would be friendship and love, the very same things that he had been unable to offer Yugi and Raphael when they had suffered the same fate.

A terrifying pained gasp rattled across Kaiba's lips as a light was pulled from his back and sent soaring to an empty panel in the wall. His body fell limp in Yami's arms.

Laughter began to reverberate off of the echoing walls, and Yami looked over Kaiba's shoulder, fixing Dartz with a deathly glare.


	2. Mokuba

**Warning: Spoilers for the end of the Waking the Dragons/Orichalcos arc**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Mokuba

Mokuba estimated that they were about an hour away from their destination. Night covered the sky outside the Kaiba Corp helicopter, while inside, the group of weary youngsters were all sleeping.

Well, most of them were, anyway.

Mokuba had slept a little, but for at least the last hour, he had been lying awake, playing Seto's loss to Dartz over and over again in his head.

He was well aware that Seto had dismissed the reality of the consequences of losing a duel in which the Seal of Orichalcos had been played, yet he himself had never been quite as sceptical as his brother. He knew very well what was to happen to Seto as soon as his Life Points hit zero, but he had been powerless to do... well, anything. He was not so foolish as to think that he might have been able to prevent the inevitable, but the least he sought to do was to offer his brother some kind of comfort.

Because for all that Seto was the epitome of emotional stability on the outside, on the inside, he was anything but.

Seto would never admit it – not even to him – but Mokuba had heard the tell-tale noises of nightly terrors coming from his brother's room ever since they had got back from Duelist Kingdom.

Yet, as it turned out, Mokuba hadn't had to worry about his brother quite as much as he had stood helpless on the other side of the green barrier that separated them – for the Pharaoh was there, and he seemed to be doing a pretty good job on his own.

Mokuba realised that his brother didn't believe that the Pharaoh and Yugi were different people – no matter how many times the rest of them, Mokuba included, had tried to convince him otherwise – but the younger Kaiba knew that the man who had held his brother while the Orichalcos had readied itself to relieve his body of his soul was not the man who was currently lying next to him on the floor space of the Kaiba Corp helicopter.

Looking over to his left, his gaze fell on the face of the King of Games, finally reunited with his body and his other self. He was lying on his back, as Mokuba was, his face angled to the ceiling, but his eyes closed. Mokuba would have thought that he was asleep, were it not for the fact that he was breathing far too fast.

A flutter of nervousness flitted through Mokuba's chest, as he contemplated whether or not it would be alright...

He couldn't remember making the definitive decision to do it, but before he knew it, his elbow was stretching out to the side, gently nudging the King of Games.

Yugi was not startled; he merely opened his eyes slowly and looked over at him.

"Mokuba?" he asked, his voice quiet and confused; he may not have been asleep, but he was clearly still tired. A small nugget of guilt nestled in Mokuba's mind, but he couldn't turn back now. "What's wrong?"

"C-can I speak to the Pharaoh? Please?"

Yugi blinked in surprise, but he nodded all the same. The Puzzle around his neck began to glow, the light dimmed slightly by the sleeping bag, and when it had faded, Yugi had disappeared, replaced with his other self.

And if Yugi had been tired, then it was nothing compared to the Pharaoh.

At some point during the transformation, bags had grown and darkened under his eyes, and there was an exhaustion dulling his amethyst irises.

"What is it, Mokuba?" he asked, though he did not sound angry, or even exasperated at being disturbed from his slumber; rather, he sounded concerned. Mokuba found it incredible that he could be so altruistic.

Mokuba took a deep breath; it did not feel right that he should be lying next to someone as powerful as the Pharaoh, almost as if they were equals.

"Mokuba?" the Pharaoh asked, shifting onto his side to face his addressee fully.

"I..." Mokuba began, as the voice in the back of his head which sounded suspiciously like Gozaburo reminded him that Kaibas didn't stutter. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"What for?" the Pharaoh blinked, disbelieving.

"For what you did in the Seal. When Seto lost."

The Pharaoh's brow furrowed. "I didn't do anything," he muttered.

"You could have stayed on the other side of the Field. You could have left him after you caught him. You didn't have to stay. You didn't have to talk to him."

A resigned understanding settled on the Pharaoh's face. He looked over the top of Mokuba to where Seto was sleeping on the other side of his younger brother. Seto was lying on his side, facing Mokuba.

It was easier when Seto was asleep to remember that he was still only just out of his teens. When he was awake, he stood so tall above everyone else, lording it over those who didn't match up to his superior intellect.

Yet when he slept, he was calm and peaceful, his brain no longer working or worrying as it did every waking moment. He could act his age for once, and have some respite from the trials and tribulations of his life.

"He was scared," the Pharaoh murmured, dropping his voice even further so that he couldn't be overheard by anyone else who might have been awake at the time.

"I know," Mokuba replied, turning to look over at his brother. "I wanted to be there for him. The Seal wouldn't let me."

"I'm sure you would have been more comfort than I."

Mokuba let out a soft, exasperated breath, turning back to face the Pharaoh.

"He does like you, you know. If he didn't, you'd know. Believe me."

A small smile twitched at the Pharaoh's lips, a light glinting in his eyes despite his exhaustion.

When he remained silent, Mokuba decided to speak.

"Just... thank you. Cause he won't say it."

The smile on the Pharaoh's face crumpled, replaced with an uncomfortable sadness.

"It's fine," he mumbled, giving Mokuba a brief nod before the Puzzle lit up once more and Yugi returned. A hint of confusion crossed the King of Games' face at his changed position, but he merely gave Mokuba a small smile before shifting onto his back once more and closing his eyes.

Mokuba returned his gaze to the ceiling, his brother still sleeping peacefully beside him.


End file.
